


The Penhallow Twins

by Takara_Phoenix



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Canon Divergent - Jace & Jonathan raised as Penhallows, Hurt/Comfort, I mean well duh, Jace Wayland-centric, Jonathan Morgenstern-centric, M/M, Past Child Abuse, Polyamory, Slash, Threesome - M/M/M, Valentine Morgenstern's A+ Parenting, and a thought-experiment, and on their brotherly dynamic, this is honestly more of a character-study, with a dash of my favorite OT3 in for good meassure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2020-03-26 19:10:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19012060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Takara_Phoenix/pseuds/Takara_Phoenix
Summary: Jace and Jonathan met as children – and ran away from Valentine, together. The two run to hide and start a new life in London, taking on new identities as twin-brothers and becoming London's best. So when the war happens in New York, they are send as backup and find themselves faced with a hard choice: continue lying, or admitting the truth and facing the consequences.





	The Penhallow Twins

Malace || Shadowhunters || Malace || The Penhallow Twins || Malace || Shadowhunters || Malace

Title: The Penhallow Twins – The Angel and the Demon?

Fandom: Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments

Disclaimer: All rights to the Shadowhunters show reserved to Ed Decter, the books the show is based off and its characters belong to Cassandra Clare. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Warnings: polyamory (m/m/m), hurt/comfort, past child abuse, f/f, m/f

Main Pairing: Magnus/Alec/Jace

Side Pairings: Simon/Clary, Lydia/Isabelle

Shadowhunters Characters: Jonathan Christopher 'Jace' Herondale, Magnus Bane, Alexander 'Alec' Lightwood, Jonathan Morgenstern, Aline Penhallow, Sebastian Verlac, Clarissa 'Clary' Fray, Simon Lewis, Lydia Branwell, Isabelle 'Izzy' Lightwood, Maxwell 'Max' Lightwood, Luke Garroway

Summary: Jace and Jonathan met as children – and ran away from Valentine, together. The two run to hide and start a new life in London, taking on new identities as twin-brothers and becoming London's best. So when the war happens in New York, they are send as backup and find themselves faced with a hard choice: continue lying, or admitting the truth and facing the consequences.

**The Penhallow Twins**

_The Angel and the Demon?_

Jace was a naturally curious little boy. It often got him into trouble with his father and earned him beatings from the strict man. But staying at the cabin by Lake Lyn and being forbidden from entering the basement – how could he possibly stay put and not go and see what was hidden in there? He genuinely didn't know what he had expected to find, but a blonde boy, maybe a year or two older than him, chained to a chair – that was not it. For a few moments, the two blondes just stared at each other with stunned, wide eyes. Neither knew that this was the moment that would forever change both their lives for the better. Without much hesitation, Jace went to work to free the other boy from his chains and his gag, leaving the other to gape at him stunned.

"You are _him_ ", whispered the other.

"I'm Jace", countered Jace with a frown. "Who are _you_? Why does father keep you down here?"

"I'm... Jonathan. And father keeps _me_ down here so we don't meet", hissed Jonathan.

"W—Why? What?", asked Jace surprised and backed off from the other boy.

Jonathan got up, rubbing his sore wrists. "Have you never wondered why he trains you the way he does? What for? Why he keeps you isolated from everyone else? Because he's _using_ us. Forming us into _weapons_ to be used against his enemies. I saw it. I saw it in his journals."

Jace's instincts told him to jump to his father's defense. His father was the only family he had, regardless of the bad, harsh treatments he sometimes received. But Jace had to admit that he had wondered those things too. He shifted a little, looking at the other boy. Something in his posture or the look on his face must have triggered a thought-process in Jonathan, because the next things Jace knew, Jonathan was holding a demanding hand out for Jace to take.

"Let's run away. You and me. And he'll never hurt either of us again", declared Jonathan.

Jace wanted to protest at first, too afraid of the world outside and the consequences of being caught. But the thought of never being hurt again was... nice. Tentatively, he took Jonathan's hand and the two of them sneaked upstairs again. Jace's mind, steeled as it was from years of training, easily saw what needed to be done. He went to get two bags, throwing one at Jonathan.

"Do you have things to pack?", whispered Jace.

"No", was the brief reply.

"Okay, then go and get food and water bottles for us", ordered Jace.

He made his way to his room to pack clothes for the both of them. He didn't have much in the department of possessions. Two Seraph blades and his stele. No need for more. Nothing of value. By the time he got back downstairs, wearily checking if his father – their father? - was still asleep, Jonathan was in the middle of stuffing some leather-bound books into the bag. A stele was poking out of the other boy's pocket and Jace found himself oddly relieved at that.

"Where are we going?", asked Jace worried.

"Wherever we want to go", declared Jonathan firmly.

/break\

Jonathan woke up with a broken gasp spilling from his lips, sweat covering his body, hair soaked and clinging to his forehead as his eyes darted around the room wildly. Jace next to him stirred slowly and groaned, looking at Jonathan in worry.

"Hey, Jon, you're alright. It's alright. Whatever you dreamed, it was just a dream", slurred Jace in a routine that came easy to him after all those years. "We're in London, we're safe. You're safe."

He wrapped gentle but strong arms around Jonathan and pulled him close to comfort him. Jonathan allowed it, leaning in greedily, soaking up all the warmth and comfort Jace seemed to radiate. His frantic heart slowly calmed down in Jace's embrace and with Jace's gentle words.

"You okay, Jon?", asked Jace softly once Jonathan's breathing had calmed down.

"Yes", nodded Jonathan shakily, sitting up and running his fingers through his hair.

He briefly noted that he should get it cut again. It wasn't very long, no where near as long as Jace's, but Jonathan preferred it shorter. On himself at least. He liked Jace's hair the way it was, reaching the younger blonde's shoulders and falling freely to frame his face like an expensive renaissance painting. There was worry clear in Jace's mismatched eyes, the blue always seeming warmer whenever he worried about Jonathan, while they could turn ice-blue and cold in anger too.

"Wanna talk about it?", hummed Jace curiously, tucking his own hair behind his ear.

"I was dreaming about the night we ran away", whispered Jonathan, voice rough. "Only in my dream, he caught us before we could leave the house and punished us and I never saw you again."

Jace hugged him, suddenly with such such a fierceness that it knocked the air out of Jonathan, but Jon didn't mind, he relished in the contact, clinging onto Jace just as fiercely. Jon couldn't imagine a life without Jace, he couldn't imagine the pure torture of growing up without Jace. He couldn't imagine what kind of _monster_ he would be if he would only have his own darkness to drown in. He couldn't imagine existing without his light, the angel who had saved him.

"That didn't happen and _it never will_ ", declared Jace firmly, voice muffled by Jon's shoulder. "He will never find us and he will never separate us, Jon. You and me against the world."

"You and me against the world", echoed Jonathan with a tired half-smile.

"Come on", ordered Jace as he slowly slipped out of the embrace. "I'll make us hot chocolate."

"Contrary to your personal opinion, hot chocolate does not fix everything", argued Jonathan.

"With tiny marshmallows", added Jace and Jonathan reluctantly followed him.

Jonathan didn't know why he deserved to have Jace in his life, but he would never question it because then maybe whoever had given Jace to him would take him away again. Jon knew he was everything bad in this world, everything dark and unholy. He had demon-blood running through his veins, pumping bad thoughts into his head. He had read it, in the journals he had taken back then to read and see what the mad man keeping them locked away and torturing them had really wanted.

Some days, Jon wished he hadn't taken them. Learning that he was indeed Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern, the son of the mad man, that he was not worth enough for his own father to cherish but rather to experiment on. With demon-blood, at that. He knew he was darkness personified.

But if he was darkness personified, Jace was light personified. Jace was everything good and everything Jon wasn't. Jonathan Christopher Herondale, the boy who had meant so little to Valentine that he didn't even get his own name. The boy Valentine had infused with pure angel-blood. Jace was what Jonathan wasn't. Filled with kindness and love. Jon had read it, in the journals. How 'weak' and 'useless' Jace was because he held love and kindness – had raised a falcon and loved it, just to have it killed right in front of him. Jace had shown his kindness when saving Jonathan and he showed it over and over again by sticking with Jonathan and saving him over and over again. After every single nightmare and every single time the dark urges took over.

Jace had helped Jonathan channel them into something good. After they had been living in the wilderness of Idris for months, just the two of them, Jace had taught him to channel his urge to kill into hunting food for them and also into killing rogue werewolves. By now, Jonathan had learned to suppress the urge, with Jace's help, and to channel it into hunting demons. It was what had made Jace and Jonathan the best Shadowhunters the London Institute had to offer – but that only happened years after their escape together.

"Hey, Bast, can't sleep either?", whispered Jace gently as they entered their kitchen.

Jonathan smiled thinly as he sat down and watched Jace bend down to pat the black kitten brushing against his leg. Jace started running his fingers through her soft fur until she was contently purring. Bastet had been the first gift Jonathan had gotten Jace, ten years ago. After Jonathan had read about the falcon, had marveled at the fact that Jace held love. He had gone to Jace and asked him about this, let Jace tell the story in his own words and the way Jace spoke of Horus and how thick his voice was at it, Jonathan had been stunned. The following week, Jonathan brought home a very small, nearly starved baby cat, offering it to Jace hopefully. A gift for the boy who had saved Jonathan. Something for Jace to love, because Jonathan was darkness and had no concept of love.

The way Jace's eyes had lit up the first time the tiny, ruffled creature had meowed at Jace – Jonathan was never going to forget it. They had named the kitten Bastet, in honor of the dead falcon Horus.

"Seb is going to give us such a hard time for being tired tomorrow", joked Jace softly.

"Seb can go and fuck off", huffed Jonathan as Bastet jumped onto the table.

He smiled faintly as Bastet flopped down onto her side and offered her belly to him. So Jonathan started caressing her while Jace rummaged through the cabinets to make the promised hot chocolate. Jonathan folded his free arm over the outstretched one with which he was still patting Bastet, tiredly resting his chin on the folded arm and turning to watch Jace.

"There's rumors at the Institute", whispered Jace lowly while going through the motions.

"I told you often enough not to listen to rumors", grumbled Jonathan displeased.

They were used to rumors. There had been rumors about them ever since they found their way to the City of Glass, all on their own, half-starved after having lived in the wilderness of Idris for too many months. Anxious, just eight years old, Jace had been clinging onto Jonathan's hand as they had made their way toward a new life. The lie of being orphaned children who had been living in the woods too long to remember the names of their parents or the name of their family, having been attacked by rough werewolves and protected by a female who had recently given birth and seemed to feel pity for the children. Granted, Jonathan had been heavily inspired by the story of Romulus and Remus there. Though he had long since vowed to himself that theirs would never be a relationship that would end with one murdering the other. Never, regardless of how much the urge to kill would grow, never would Jonathan lay hand on Jace.

The Clave had been suspicious at first, but the two were just children, harmless and innocent and half-starved. They were adopted and groomed into becoming Shadowhunters and over the years, they made new names for themselves, growing strong and inseparable from each other.

Yet whispers about where they had come from never truly ceased. They quieted down as Jonathan and Jace became the pride of the London Institute, but they never fully stopped.

"Not about us. About our father", argued Jace, something stiff in his posture.

Jonathan raised one eyebrow in concern. Jace never referred to Patrick – their adopted father – as 'father', it was always 'papa'. Father was a title reserved to Valentine Morgenstern, still, even after all those years, even knowing that Valentine had never been Jace's father. He had been the man to raise Jace, to call him 'son', regardless of how much disgust was dripping from that word sometimes. Sighing, Jonathan sat up and regarded Jace thoughtfully.

"I know", muttered Jonathan lowly. "They say he's still alive. We _know_ he's still alive."

"But if they say so, then that means he's showing his face again. He's up to... something", said Jace.

"We always knew he was up to something. We have the damned journals to prove that", sneered Jonathan, gritting his teeth hard. " _No_ , Jace. I told you, no. Those are just rumors. We're not getting involved. You will not drag us both back into this mess. _No_."

"If rumors grow into something solid, I _will_ get involved", stated Jace firmly as he turned to face Jonathan, fixing him with one of his serious, stubborn glares. "If he decided to emerge from hiding, if he is going to hurt innocent people, then we can not stand aside, Jon. _I_ can't stand aside."

Jonathan heaved a shaky breath and shook his head, just as Jace pushed a mug of hot chocolate into his line of sight. "If the innocent do get hurt... If he shows his face. If he finally reveals whatever kind of vicious plans he had for you and me... When you go, I will go with you."

"You will?", asked Jace hopefully, his hazel-blue eyes sparkling.

"Always, Jace. Don't be stupid", chided Jonathan and took a long gulp of his scaling hot chocolate. "Wherever you go, I will go. Whoever you fight against, I will fight against. You and me against the world, as it has been for the last fifteen years and as it will _always_ be."

Jace smiled, clearly relieved, as he sat down opposite Jonathan and reached out to trace Bastet's head with his free hand while holding his chocolate with the other.

/break\

Alec rubbed his face in exhaustion and sank back onto the couch. He was so tired. Beyond tired.

"One could think you were the head of the Institute with how weary you look."

Alec cracked one eye open and turned to glare at the smirking head of the Institute. Lydia Branwell straightened her dress as she tilted her head to look straight back at her friend.

"Being your second in command is exhausting enough, thank you very much. I've been sorting through the Shadowhunters the Clave intends to send our way as backup all day", huffed Alec.

"And your mind being all over the place as always doesn't help either", mused Lydia. "You worry too much. I know it is a war. And I know we have suffered significant losses... But we can not drive ourselves crazy. The odds are stacked against us, but as long as we have each other, we will win."

Alec raised his eyebrows at her optimism. She was the envoy send by the Clave when the Lightwoods were deemed not good enough to be heads of the Institute any longer and yet somehow, that had given birth to the closest friendship Alec had ever experienced. It had taken meeting Magnus Bane and being flirted with by Magnus Bane for Alec to realize he was gay and it had taken nearly marrying Lydia to come to terms with it. Now he had a boyfriend _and_ a best friend.

Of course, those two particular things were really the only good outcome of the past months of war.

The mess that had started with Clary Fray stumbling into their lives thanks to Isabelle's too big too soft heart and oh, we have to help her. With Clary came Simon, a mundane turned vampire thanks to being dragged into this all by his best friend turned girlfriend.

It took the six of them – Alec, Lydia, Isabelle, Clary, Simon, Magnus – decidedly too long to make sense of this whole mess. Starting with a memory demon who had already devoured what he had taken from Clary so many years ago, continuing with Simon's abduction and transition into a vampire, leading to Lydia's arrival who then helped them in the task of actually finding the Mortal Cup. One would think that was when things would start getting better.

That was when things started to go downhill.

Hodge, Alec's trainer since childhood a man he trusted and admired like an uncle, stole the Mortal Cup, revealing himself to be a traitor. Valentine had the Mortal Cup, Hodge was captured and as Valentine went to free Hodge from the City of Bones, he managed to also steal the Soul Sword. They had lost two of the three Mortal Instruments. They had lost two of the three Mortal Instruments _and so many Shadowhunters_ , including Jocelyn Fairchild.

Currently, everyone was worried about Clary after losing her mother. Even Alec, who was not too fond of her, felt more than just sympathy for the redhead. Guilt. He also felt heavy guilt for what had happened, since the demon had taken possession of him when he killed her. Regardless of how much Lydia, Magnus, Isabelle and even Clary herself tried to reassure him that it had not been his fault, how could he not blame himself? He literally had her blood on his hands.

After the losses, other Institutes had offered to send them backup. After all, they were gearing up for a full-blown war here. They couldn't work with such low numbers, especially not now that they had to track down not just the Mortal Cup but also the Soul Sword.

"Magnus is going to open a portal for the backup from London today", stated Alec casually.

"The team can greet them together", nodded Lydia pleased. "Isabelle is training Clary today, which means Simon will be somewhere close-by too. I want to get everyone's opinion on the new guys. We need to be able to sort through who we can trust. Who we do trust."

Alec nodded slowly in agreement. The team was the six of them. The ones fighting the hardest, the ones they could truly trust in this whole mess. They needed to make sure no other former Circle members would infiltrate them. Alec's stomach knotted, as it always did when thinking of the former Circle members and of the fact that his parents were former Circle members. They had trusted Hodge, just to be betrayed by him. They truly didn't know if this backup would be actual backup, or spies sent in by Valentine's followers. Alec heaved a sigh at that thought.

"We're so paranoid", muttered Alec. "And I hate that we are justified in that paranoia."

"Me too", hummed Lydia softly, leaning back in her chair.

"My two favorite people. Looking like they were run over by a train."

Both turned to look toward the door. Isabelle had a teasing grin on her lips as she slipped into the room. She walked over to Lydia and leaned down to steal a gentle kiss from her girlfriend. Lydia wrapped one arm around Isabelle's waist to rest her hand on Isabelle's lower back. Alec smiled faintly at how easy and simple things were between the two girls. He was glad for them, happy they had found each other during these trying times of war. When they parted, Isabelle headed over to sit down next to her brother, bumping shoulders with Alec.

"You're supposed to train Clary", stated Alec sternly.

"Simon brought her here and now they're... talking", huffed Isabelle and rolled her eyes.

Training was important for Clary. She lacked eighteen years of being raised as a Shadowhunter. She was the main target of Valentine, she needed to be able to do more than just defend herself. Especially when they continued being a team and bringing her along on missions. Not to mention that the physical exhaustion helped distract her from the loss of her mother.

"Very well, then perhaps we can welcome the backup from the London Institute before you two are all sweaty and exhausted", offered Lydia, searching for Alec's eyes.

"I can call Magnus", nodded Alec to her unasked question, fishing for his phone.

"I thought you like me sweaty and exhausted", teased Isabelle.

" _No_ ", growled Alec pointedly and made a face. "That is on our 'Don't say it while Alec is in the room' list. You agreed to that list, Iz. Please stick to it."

Isabelle laughed at that and got off the couch. "I'll go and collect Clary and Simon."

" _Alexander! What do I owe the pleasure?_ ", asked Magnus delighted as he picked up the phone.

"Hey", replied Alec with a dopey smile – well, he guessed he was spotting a dopey smile because Lydia was giving him that teasing look she always did whenever Alec had a 'dopey Magnus-induced grin' on his lips. "Uh, I was wondering if you got time now? For the portal-thing?"

" _Mh... only if you allow me to steal you away for lunch afterward. You work too hard. I'm sure if I were to ask Lydia right now, she would confirm that you haven't eaten today_ ", bargained Magnus.

"I can confirm that", called Lydia out loudly. "And yes, you can steal him."

" _I do so love that woman_ ", laughed Magnus delighted. " _See you in a moment, darling._ "

"You two are awful", pointed Alec out after ending the call.

"Oh yes", agreed Lydia gravely. "We are such awful people for caring about you and worrying."

She offered him a small, teasing smirk. They got up and left the office together, spotting Simon talking to Clary. The five met up and headed to the main room together.

"So we're getting fresh blood today?", asked Simon with a broad grin.

"Not the puns, vampire", stated Alec flatly.

Simon pouted just a little, prompting Clary to laugh and grab his arm. "I think it was a good one."

A portal opened in front of them, Magnus stepping out and stepping up to Alec right away. The two looked at each other longingly for a brief moment. Alec had the urge to kiss Magnus, but he just couldn't. Lydia and Isabelle had given him the courage to ask Magnus out on a date, yes, but he was not ready to show affections publicly at the Institute yet. Especially not now that he was Lydia's second in command and had the responsibility on his shoulders. The small, intimate smile Magnus offered him and only him felt as warm as any kiss would though.

"One portal to London, coming up", chimed Magnus, breaking the moment.

Alec straightened his back, taking his stance at Lydia's side. Isabelle was on her other side, flanked by Clary and Simon. The welcoming committee, might the new guys think. The judgment was what they truly were. If these people gave off the wrong kind of vibe to _any_ of them, they would know where they stood with the British Shadowhunters. Magnus opened the portal and Lydia stepped through it to say her personal thanks to the head of the London Institute and then return with the backup. The rest of the team waited tensely until Lydia returned with three blondes in tow.

"May I introduce? My second in command, Alexander Lightwood", started Lydia off, motioning at the team one by one. "The High Warlock of Brooklyn, Magnus Bane. Our best Shadowhunter, Isabelle Lightwood. And this is... Clary Fray. And Simon Lewis, envoy of the Brooklyn clan."

"I'm Sebastian Verlac", greeted one of the blonde men with a charming smile, shaking hands one by one. "And those are my cousins, Jonathan and Christopher Penhallow."

"Jace", corrected Christopher Penhallow right away, just as he shook Alec's hand.

"Jace? How does that come from Christopher?", asked Simon confused.

"Growing up, we used to sign everything as J.C. Penhallow", chuckled Jonathan with a fond smile on his lips. "At one point, it just became a nickname that stuck more with my brother than me."

"It's a twin-thing", declared Christopher – no, Jace – with a broad grin.

Alec frowned a little as he looked into Jace's eyes. Fascinating. He had never met someone with heterochromia. His eyes were hazel-blue and his face was framed with golden hair, the broad and carefree grin adding to the angel-like appearance of the blonde. There was no true resemblance between Jace and Jonathan beyond their blonde hair. There was something hard and dark to Jonathan that made Alec instinctively want to back off.

"We're glad to help you in any way we can", stated Sebastian with a charming smile.

Alec nodded briefly. Sebastian was not the reason he had green-lit this particular team. The Penhallow-twins were the real reason. The best and strongest Shadowhunters the London Institute had to offer, having made their names far beyond their own Institute. What had piqued Alec's interest even beyond their impressive stats was the fact that no one knew where they had come from. As young children, they had been found in Idris, orphaned apparently, too young and traumatized to recall their birth-family before being adopted by the Penhallows after Aline Penhallow had bonded particularly with the two boys while they were still in recovery. Something in Alec was itching to learn more, to discover the hidden truths.

"But if you don't mind too much, we would love to be shown our rooms and rest for now. We had one final mission at home this morning and it was _draining_ ", requested Jonathan.

"And, if that's possible, Jon and I would like to have adjoined rooms?", asked Jace.

Alec raised one eyebrow at that. He knew twins were said to be curiously close and he had heard of how inseparable the Penhallow-twins were, but the request still sounded odd to his ears.

"Of course. I will show you to your rooms", nodded Lydia with a pleasant smile.

She exchanged a look with Alec and he nodded. He was going to talk to the team.

/break\

Jace took a shaky breath as he collapsed face-first on the bed in the room Lydia Branwell had shown him. His backpack meowed in protest and Jace shrugged it off to open it so Bastet could crawl out of it. She sniffed around suspiciously for a while before settling down next to her human.

"What do you think about this?", mused Jace softly as he started patting her.

"Me—eow", whined Bastet as she rolled onto her back.

"Yeah, totally agreed", snorted Jace with a half-smile.

If he was being honest, he felt a little anxious himself. He had pushed Jon so hard to come here. He knew Jon _hated_ this, hated it with every fiber of his being. He knew Jon would prefer to keep Jace wrapped up in soft cotton-fluff, locked into a room where Valentine could never find him.

Not because Jonathan doubted Jace's abilities or strength. Jon was the only person knowing just what Jace was capable of. It was the fact that Jonathan was _afraid_. Afraid to a point where it shook the older blonde to the core. Jace knew what Jon thought about him, that Jace was his light and guide and all warmth and goodness in his life. And Jon was _convinced_ that without Jace in his life, he would slip into the darkness and be consumed by it. Honestly, Jace knew it might be true because without Jace to guide him and keep him on track, Jon would allow himself to break.

Jace was never going to allow that. Jonathan was the most important person in his life, Jonathan was his life. As much as Jace loved Aline and Sebastian and Jia and Patrick, Jace would always put Jonathan before all else. Before himself too.

But this right now, this was something Jace knew they _had_ to do. They would never be able to fully escape Valentine's clutches if they wouldn't be there to help take him down. And Jace would never be able to forgive himself if any more people had to die while Jon and Jace might hold the answer.

The breaking point had been the theft of the Mortal Cup. Jace finally convinced Jonathan that this was too serious to sit it out, but by the time they also got Sebastian on board and filed for a transfer to 'help out', the Soul Sword _also_ got stolen. Only then, with the attack on the New York Institute, did they find themselves in New York. Which was a good start, but not the end.

They _needed_ to know who they could trust. That had been Jonathan's condition to coming here. They weren't just going to blurt out their origin story to the Clave; they needed to find someone with pure intentions who truly just wanted to _help_. Jace thought that Valentine's daughter could be that; Jonathan had sneered at him at that and shook his head.

Jonathan's natural paranoia was the main reason for ninety percent of Jace's headaches.

Granted, Jon's arguments made sense. They knew nothing about Clarissa Adele Morgenstern. They didn't know what kind of person their mother was, if she shared even half the madness of her husband. They also didn't know how deep Valentine had gotten into Clarissa's head in the past months – or how deep the Clave had gotten into her head. So okay, Jace had to hand it to Jonathan. They should make sure who Clarissa truly was and see if she was trustworthy.

The same went for the head of the Institute, her second in command and his sister.

The first impression Jace got from the New York Institute was a tentatively positive one. To be greeted by the High Warlock and by an envoy from the local vampire clan was a nice touch. He had heard rumors about the close ties the New York Institute had to its city's Downworlders. And Jace was particularly protective of Downworlders, as silly as it sounded. He just knew that demon-blood was running through Jonathan's veins, making him stronger and different – but he should not be judged or shunned for it. Neither should Downworlders. Blood did not define a person.

And if Jace was to believe rumors, Alexander Lightwood in particular had _good_ relations to a certain warlock. Jace grinned a little. He was curious to learn more about that. He was curious about the Lightwoods in general, if he was being honest. They were what had Jace most cautious.

His phone buzzed, prompting him to roll over and check his messages.

_Marie: You got to NY safely?_

Jace grinned fondly and rolled his eyes before typing his answer. _Yes, sis. Jon and I are fine. Seb is already fed up with us again after this morning's mission, but you know that's his default setting._

Bastet meowed displeased as she padded over to climb onto his chest and roll together, demanding his attention. Smiling softly, Jace started caressing her again while waiting for his phone to buzz.

_Marie: It is. But only for Jon. He's fond of you and you know it and abuse it ALL THE TIME!_

_Berlioz: Shaddap you love me ;PPP_

_Toulouse: Everyone loves you. When you're done here, meet me in the training room, Jace._

Rolling his eyes, Jace closed their _Aristocats_ chat and gently pushed Bastet off his chest. Jon was way too uptight. Couldn't the guy rest for just a second, please?

"I can _hear_ you brooding through the door, about me not giving you enough rest."

Jace stuck his tongue out at the closed door before opening it and facing Jonathan. The older blonde looked decidedly smug as he leaned against the door-frame, arms crossed over his chest. He stared down at Jace, using the four inches he had on Jace as leverage over him. Jace pouted a little.

"I wasn't brooding", tried Jace weakly before the two of them made their way to the training room.

Jace instantly noticed Isabelle Lightwood and Clarissa Morgenstern were already in the room, training. Jace watched them from the corner of his eyes as he grabbed two of the wooden sticks to throw one at Jonathan who caught it without even looking.

The Lightwoods were why Jace was suspicious, because he knew Maryse and Robert had been Circle members. _Circle members_. Followers of Valentine Morgenstern. Them not being in charge anymore had basically solved the first problem for Jace; even he knew that coming here while Circle members were in charge was a bad, stupid, ridiculous idea. He had only started really suggesting it after the Clave had taken control from them.

Honestly, Jace really wondered what exactly the Clave was even _thinking_.

Jace had invested a lot of time into tracking every single documented former Circle member. What he had found was mortifying. The Lightwoods, in charge of the New York Institute. Hodge Starkweather, being 'imprisoned' by being allowed free reign through the New York Institute, to the extend that he had the chance to _steal the damn Mortal Cup_. The sister of Valentine's former parabatai had even achieved the status of an Iron Sister, being allowed into the Citadel, holy ground to Shadowhunters, making their weapons. It was absolutely, mind-blowingly ridiculous.

Maybe that was one thing the mundane world had on the Shadow World.

In the mortal world, terrorists were locked away and the keys were thrown away. No second chances. There was absolutely no way in _hell_ that a former terrorist would just start working in the White House or something. It was baffling how stupidly forgiving the Clave could be.

So no. No, Jace did not trust either Lightwood. The parents not at all and the children would have to prove themselves first. There was no telling if the Lightwoods weren't just like Starkweather; still working for Valentine. Who knew if they raised and groomed their off-springs into being loyal Circle members. They couldn't risk spilling their secrets in the presence of potential traitors.

"Fight me, angel", whispered Jonathan with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

Jace huffed. Jonathan was a certified idiot. He was so hung-up on Jace being 'all things light and good' and him having the angel-blood, making Jace Jonathan's literal guardian angel.

This was something Jace could do. Always. Sparring with Jonathan was as natural as breathing. Thrust, dodge, attack, roll out of the way, block, attack. They were so in sync, they could do this in their sleep. It was a dance, a dance they had perfected over the past fifteen years.

"The head of the Institute. I heard from Ally that she's also dating Isabelle Lightwood", whispered Jace off-handedly. "So her loyalty lays with the Lightwoods."

Aline had bemoaned Isabelle Lightwood's new relationship status the last time Aline had been in London about a week ago, eating two containers of ice-cream together (Jace had eaten half a container; Aline had devoured the rest. Jace wasn't going to comment, as long as it made his sister feel better, he was glad to help). Aline used to hook up with Isabelle occasionally when they were teenagers, relishing in having found another female Shadowhunter interested in women. So Aline had kind of hoped to maybe deepen their relationship some, just to have Isabelle let her down gently. And Aline couldn't even be upset, because the look on Isabelle's face when talking about Lydia... was the reason why Jace had to go and get the second container of ice-cream because it was a 'Disney princess look of true love'. Basically, what Aline wanted too.

"How do you want to do this?", asked Jonathan in a low voice, whispering into Jace's ear as he had the other blonde pinned to the ground. "Split up? You take the boy Lightwood, I take the girl?"

"And your _sister_?", hissed Jace back as he pushed Jonathan off and attacked.

"First things first", growled Jonathan as he dodged Jace's attack. "She's not our priority."

Jace begged to differ, but he wasn't going to argue Jon on it. Not right now. In an abstract way, Jace understood. Jonathan was afraid to meet her, afraid of her to reject him. Jace grunted as an elbow connected hard with his ribs. Jonathan was glaring at him pointedly.

"You take Isabelle, I take Alexander", confirmed Jace after a pause. "Regroup tonight."

"Regrouping tonight", nodded Jonathan pleased.

Jace served the final blow, pinning Jonathan against the wall with the tip of his staff pressed against Jonathan's throat. Jace always won. Not particularly because Jace was necessarily stronger than Jon, but because Jon would _never_ go all-out against Jace, too afraid to accidentally unleash his demon powers and seriously hurt Jace. And Jace was the one person Jon could never live with hurting.

"You two are impressive", commented Isabelle curiously.

Jace let Jon go and turned toward their audience. Isabelle and Clary had apparently already finished up. Exchanging a last look with Jace, Jonathan smiled charmingly at Isabelle and headed toward her to engage her in a conversation about fighting. Jace watched Clary slipping out of the room and decided to follow. Just because Jon didn't want to get to know his sister right now didn't mean Jace couldn't scout some. It was for Jonathan's best, after all.

He stuttered in his steps though when he noticed where they were headed. The dead from the attack on the Institute were bared up in the room and Clary's steps were unsteady as she headed to one of the bodies. Jace's throat tightened. _Jon would never meet his mother_. His heart clenched.

"Why did you follow me, Penhallow?", asked Clary, voice empty.

"I'm... I'm sorry", muttered Jace awkwardly. "I was... I wanted to talk to the daughter of Valentine."

"I'm _not_ the daughter of that monster", spat Clary, anger rising in a familiar way that Jace recognized from Jon. "I'm the daughter of Jocelyn Fray. And that... is all that matters."

"I'm sorry for your loss", whispered Jace gently as he stepped up to her.

Silence stretched on between them as Jace paid his general respect to the fallen Shadowhunters. He was short of just walking out and leaving her to her mourning when she spoke up again.

"He took her away from me", whispered Clary, barely audible. "H—He... took _everything_ away from me. My home. My mother. My chance at a normal life. My... brother. He is _not_ my father. He will always just be the man who takes everything from me."

"Your... brother", drawled Jace reluctantly. "Do you... Do you think he might still be alive?"

"Why would you _say_ that?", asked Clary harshly, looking at Jace with a fierce glare.

Jace had to try very hard not to smile, because Clary reminded him so much of Jon. So emotional, temperamental and fast to anger when provoked. Jace turned to stare at the covered form of Jocelyn.

"I'm sorry. I've just been... keeping up with you since news of you and Jocelyn Fairchild being alive reached our Institute. And it made me wonder... if Valentine survived the fire, who's to say your brother didn't too?", mused Jace gently.

"Don't", whispered Clary, nearly pleadingly. "Don't give me a false sense of hope to cling onto. I... I can't handle this. Not now. I'm sorry, I have to... go."

Jace nodded and watched her, not missing how she had cut some of Jocelyn's hair off when thinking Jace wasn't paying attention. If it was a keepsake, or a Very Bad Decision, that wasn't Jace's business. Instead, Jace left a few moments after her, deciding to take a shower first before tracking down Alexander Lightwood and do some more interrogating.

"Oh, you're a beauty. Whatever are you doing here?"

Jace blinked curiously as he rounded the corner to come face to face with the High Warlock of Brooklyn. The High Warlock of Brooklyn, cradling Bastet in his arms and scratching her chin.

"Bast!", hissed Jace wide-eyed, picking up his pace to reach the two. "I told you to _stay inside_. Why do you never listen, stubborn feline fiend?!"

Magnus looked up at him with amusement dancing in his eyes. "So she is yours then, yes?"

"Yes", grumbled Jace, cheeks flushing a little. "She's my best friend. I couldn't leave her in London. But I know Institutes aren't very big on... pets. That's why she was supposed to stay in my room."

Bastet actually had the audacity to look offended by that, meowing indignantly. Magnus chuckled and started walking with Jace, still patting the black, sleek cat but watching Jace.

"Your secret is safe with me, little Shadowhunter", promised the warlock playfully.

"How many do you have?", asked Jace softly, running a hand down Bastet's back.

"I beg your pardon?", inquired Magnus surprised.

"Cats. How many do you have? I count at least four different types of cat-hair on your clothes."

"Too many to count. Mainly strays that I feed", admitted Magnus, regarding Jace more closely.

"Aw, a warlock with a soft spot for stray cats. That's so cute and so cliche that you could be out of an old German fairy tale", teased Jace with a smirk.

"Stray cats, stray vampires, stray Shadowhunters", drawled Magnus.

They continued walking in silence for a long stretch, Jace being well-aware of the warlock assessing him. He kept his posture straight as he continued on to his bedroom. Jace _wanted_ to trust them. He wanted to find some common ground, find someone he could trust so Jonathan and him could actually share their knowledge with someone who wasn't going to lock them up and experiment on them some more to see what exactly Valentine had done to them – and that was exactly what they were expecting from the Clave at this point.

"I'm sorry for your loss", stated Jace softly when they reached the door.

"Jocelyn's death was... unexpected", agreed Magnus nearly automatically.

"Ragnor Fell", corrected Jace, the name easily rolling off his tongue.

It was enough to make Magnus freeze in his steps, eyes sharpening as he looked at Jace. "Go on."

"I know you were friends", supplied Jace carefully. "He spoke of you a lot. And he always spoke highly of you. Well, unless he was drunk, then he was mainly just bitching."

"You... knew Ragnor", stated Magnus slowly, eyes running over Jace's body once more. "How?"

"I was kinda in charge of warlock-relations in London. And he _was_ the High Warlock of London", shrugged Jace. "We met up regularly. Mostly to get drinks. He liked to reminiscent when he was drunk off his ass. Often complaining about you and your 'stupid life choices'. If I remember correctly, that stupid life choice was called Camille?"

He aimed for a light tone and the look on Magnus' face was a mixture between fondness and sadness. Honestly, they all deserved a break from losing people, as far as Jace knew.

"What do warlock-relations entail?", inquired Magnus as they entered Jace's bedroom.

Jace booked it as a win that he had gotten the warlock into his room. "Making sure the warlocks are happy. Don't have any serious problems. Mainly it was just Ragnor sending everyone with problems straight to my door so he didn't have to deal with them himself. Jerk."

"And what qualified you for such a role?", asked Magnus as he sat down with Bastet.

"I have kind of my ways with those with demon-blood running through their veins", drawled Jace. "Also, I'm the most charming person you will ever meet, Mister Bane."

He winked at Magnus, making the warlock snort in amusement. "I'm afraid you're not my type."

"Ye—eah. You're more into the tall, dark and handsome Shadowhunters", stated Jace offhandedly.

"Are you fishing for gossip about my love life?", asked Magnus surprised, blinking a little.

"It's juicy gossip", grinned Jace unapologetically as he sat down next to Magnus. " _Especially_ for a pan Shadowhunter who's been trying to focus all on women just so no one would ever question him. You two are like literally the figure heads of the very small, very hidden gay community among the Shadowhunters. My big sister called me and nearly screamed me deaf when she heard about you. It's... hard, you know? For us. The Clave has so many sticks up their asses..."

Magnus hummed curiously, his gaze growing even more intense, despite feeling like that should be impossible. Damn, this man was truly intense in all aspects. He understood why it was enough to push Alexander into coming out. Jace smiled wryly at that thought. It took a lot of bravery to come out and stay true to himself like that. Jace admired that.

/break\

Isabelle Lightwood was a fascinating person. A layered person. At first glance, she was just a pretty face, using her charms to get what she wanted. She had a massive array of wits and knowledge and fighting skills to do the job if her charms failed. From what Jonathan had learned this afternoon while sparring with her and exchanging techniques and stories about their Institutes, she had become somewhat of a best friend to Clary, worrying deeply for her.

From what he could detect, there was no lie in her words. She held great resentment for Valentine on account of all he had done to those she cared about. She seemed to be a very honest character. Though based on one conversation, he could not make a definite decision.

Exiting the bathroom, Jonathan went to collapse on his bed, staring at the ceiling for a long moment. After all the training, he had really needed a shower.

"Jon? You asleep?"

Cracking an eye open, Jon turned to look at Jace, standing in the doorway with Bastet on his shoulder. When Jonathan turned toward him, Jace closed the distance and came to sit on his bed.

"Report?", asked Jon softly while watching Jace.

Bastet jumped off Jace's shoulder and went to climb onto Jon's chest. Jon carefully started caressing her. Jace laid down next to him, arm folded under his head as he stared intensely at Jonathan.

"Your sister is a certified idiot and so is Alexander Lightwood", offered Jace after a beat. "They went to a warlock, trying to resurrect your mother. Clary, I... might cut some slack on the foundation that she is still new to the Shadow World and sees magic as a solves-all-problems kind of solution. Not to mention, she lost everyone. She lost the chance at having a father, she lost her mother, she believes she lost her brother, her best friend turned boyfriend had also already died and been turned into a vampire. I understand that a human reaches their breaking point when pushed too hard. But Alec, he should have known better. Then again... I think deep down he knew, because they didn't go to his warlock. They went to a stranger for help. Alec knew Magnus didn't approve."

"So, they're emotional idiots then", mused Jonathan with a frown.

"I understand their emotional motivation", added Jace with a sigh. "I mean, she lost everything, he is seemingly blaming himself – I looked through the footage and he had been taken over by the demon and killed Jocelyn. Yet after everything I heard about Alexander Lightwood, I thought his rational mind would always outvote those emotional decisions."

"Emotional decision making is not exactly something that puts them in my good graces", muttered Jonathan, looking deeply into Jace's mismatched eyes. "Isabelle impressed me. So did the head of the Institute. I met up with her earlier. She seems like a rational person on the right side of things."

"Alec and Clary are on the right side too", stated Jace simply. "Emotions don't make a person less reliable. You're emotional too. Don't look so offended, you _are_. Whenever it's about me, idiot."

"Because you're a trouble-magnet", quipped Jon casually in a routine of banter.

"I trust Magnus Bane", stated Jace suddenly and seriously.

"You've only met the guy _today_ ", argued Jonathan with a frown.

"He was one of Ragnor's best friends. I've heard enough stories about him", whispered Jace. "Not to mention, he lost so many warlocks to Valentine's experiments. What reason would he have to work for our megalomaniac of a father? I'm not saying 'let's run over there and tell them right now'. But I am saying that I do think Magnus is the right person to tell."

"We'll see. Not tonight. Tonight is the...", started Jon, voice breaking a little.

"I know", whispered Jace gently, resting a hand on Jon's arm. "We should get dressed for it. She was your mother. You are not going to miss this."

"I didn't know the woman", argued Jonathan with a glare.

"She was still your mother. You lost her. You know what, I am _not_ arguing with you on that. You will go and pay your respects, I'll not let you miss this and I'll also not let you miss the chance to meet your sister", declared Jace with the usual stubbornness that both annoyed and amused Jon.

"Like the Inquisitor is your grandmother", countered Jonathan flatly.

Jace averted his eyes with a glare. Even Jon knew that was a different matter entirely. She was Clave. She was the Inquisitor, for Raziel's sake. Not to mention that she was a cold, distant woman. Jace had been against the idea of telling her the truth based on the notion of either being treated that way despite being 'family', or getting a special kind of treatment because he was 'family'. Either way didn't sit right with Jace and they could not risk the Clave to know.

"I'm sorry", whispered Jonathan belatedly, resting a hand on Jace's cheek. "I didn't mean..."

"Oh, I know what you meant, Jon", huffed Jace and rolled his eyes. "You meant that you're afraid she will reject you so it'd be better to not even try. You're afraid she might be more like our father than anticipated and that she will hurt you."

Jonathan scowled. He hated that Jace knew him so well, knew the deep fears not even Jonathan was ready to admit to himself. He hated that one look from Jace was enough and Jonathan was ready to agree to anything. Jace could ask him to burn down the world and Jonathan would do it without blinking an eye. But the reason Jonathan was willing to do those things was _because_ he knew Jace would never ask for it. Jace was good, inherently good.

"Let's get ready for my mother's funeral", sighed Jonathan in defeat.

"Don't look so pouty", smirked Jace as he got up. "You'll thank me later."

/break\

"I have a favor to ask of you."

Jace blinked slowly as he rolled over on his bed, prompting Bastet to meow in protest. Alec Lightwood was standing in his door, gaze lingering just long enough on Jace's stomach for the blonde to notice that his shirt had riled up during his little roll. Grinning amused – oh, Jace _knew_ he was gorgeous – Jace straightened the garment and raised one eyebrow.

"Su—ure. What is it? Secret mission?", asked Jace eagerly and sat up.

"Something... personal", admitted Alec and entered the room fully, closing the door behind himself.

"If you're proposing a threesome with you and your warlock, I have to admit, I would not be opposed to it", hummed Jace, lecherously running his eyes over Alec's body.

The insanely dark-red blush lighting up Alec's entire face and disappearing under his shirt was so worth it, making Jace laugh loudly. Damn, that archer was kind of cute, in a shy, awkward way.

"I—It's not something like that", muttered Alec, clearing his throat to compose himself. "It's my brother, Max. His runing party is tonight and you and your brother and cousin are invited, just like the rest of the Institute, but the thing is... I..."

"Yeah?", asked Jace softly, looking at the other Shadowhunter curiously.

"My brother is a huge fan of you", sighed Alec, a little embarrassed. "And... if... you'd just go to him and congratulate him in person, that would mean the world to him. His name is Max. Just... it'd be important to him, so it's important to me."

"Oh. Huh. Sure", chuckled Jace amused, one eyebrow raised. "That's a simple one. And here I thought you'd come up with some serious or complicated request."

"Yeah?", asked Alec, looking relieved. "Thank you, Jace."

"No problem, Alec", grinned Jace back.

/break\

Jonathan kept glaring, all the way to the loft of the High Warlock of Brooklyn. Every now and again, Jace would roll his eyes and elbow his brother. Social gatherings had never been Jonathan's thing, but this was the best opportunity to catch them off-guard. At the Institute, there was always a weary shield up, walls to protect them, an air of professionalism. Here? With a couple drinks in, loosened by the fun of celebrating Maxwell Lightwood? They might get a better grip on what kind of people Alec, Isabelle, Lydia, Clary, Simon and Magnus were.

"Aline said she is going to come to New York too, once the transfer is through", noted Sebastian.

Jace grinned pleased. Aline was good at keeping Jonathan in check too. Though before Jace could reply, they reached the loft. Magnus Bane opened, with the usual flourish. He really was very... magnificent. The goatee, the smirk, the hair, the _eyes_. Jace had never met someone like Magnus.

"Ah, our three British blondes", greeted Magnus amused. "Come on inside, get comfortable."

Jace smiled at Magnus in a charming way, before he turned to look at Jonathan for a moment. Jonathan nodded briefly in confirmation. They'd be splitting up again. Jon quickly found his way to the bar where Isabelle was sitting and chatting with Simon the vampire, while Jace decided to wait and see where Magnus Bane was going. He watched Sebastian head over toward Lydia, before noticing that Magnus was apparently waiting on _him_.

"Well, little Shadowhunter, go on", urged Magnus amused. "Don't just stand in the doorway."

"Right. Sorry. I just... still don't know anyone here. And this place is quite overwhelming."

"Mh, very well. I _am_ currently actively trying to avoid Alexander's mother, so let me show you around", hummed Magnus, a sparkle in his eyes as he offered his arm to Jace.

Jace blinked, a bit surprised, but then accepted it. The loft was gorgeous. And it was so very... Magnus. Somehow, the entire place just seemed to give off that same vibe. Though Jace grinned to himself at all the small Alec things he spotted (Seraph blades, arrows, books that distinctively belonged to a Shadowhunter). Jace was well-aware of Magnus' eyes on him the whole time.

"So, what's the verdict, High Warlock?", inquired Jace as the two got out onto the balcony.

"Mh, whatever are you talking about?", asked Magnus innocently.

"You've been watching me. Seizing me up", offered Jace. "And I'm now curious, do I pass or fail?"

Magnus gave him a look, a very amused look. "You are... interesting. Both, you and your brother. Something about the both of you is... different, though I can not pinpoint what exactly."

"Magnus. There you—Oh."

Jace and Magnus turned toward the voice to see Alec. He looked curiously from Magnus to Jace as though he was processing... something. Tilting his head, Jace decided to look around and let Alec process in peace. That was when he spotted the first cat. Making a small, delighted noise in the back of his throat, Jace dropped onto his knees and reached out for the tiny baby kitten.

"You're so small", whispered Jace as the kitten sniffed his hand.

"Like you're one to talk", muttered Alec beneath his breath, getting elbowed by Magnus.

Jace picked the kitten up and got off the ground, glaring up at the _way too tall_ men. Seriously, who had allowed them to be this tall? Alec was looming over Jace – and Magnus had even more on Alec. Compared to them, Jace was tiny. The blonde narrowed his eyes at the amusement in Magnus' eyes.

"He is not wrong, _little_ Shadowhunter", chuckled Magnus. "And that would be Purrincess Diana."

"Purrincess, huh?", chuckled Jace and nudged her. "Sorry, I have a soft spot for them."

"Oh, do not apologize for cuddling a kitten. It looks quite adorable on you", assured Magnus.

"Magnus", hissed Alec, this time him being the one to elbow the warlock.

Jace grinned a little at them, tilting his head in the other direction. He was starting to grow fond of them. This might be a problem on the long run. And Jonathan was certainly not going to like it. Well, Jon didn't like a lot of stuff, so there was that.

"Now, I was told to say hello to the boy of the hour. Where is he?", asked Jace.

It took Alec a moment to answer, because Purrincess Diana was sitting on Jace's shoulder, nuzzling into his neck. This was... adorable. Which, in itself was confusing. Alec had had crushes before, as a boy growing up, but he now had Magnus. Why would he be this enchanted by the blonde...? Was it because Magnus seemed to be getting along so well with Jace? And the two of them together were what had first piqued Alec's interest if he was being honest. Seeing Jace smile up at Magnus, both of them talking softly. It was adorable and cute and Alec _liked_ it.

"Right. Come with me", requested Alec and led the way.

The three of them headed to where Isabelle, Lydia and a little boy stood. As soon as Jace was spotted, the conversation died and the boy stared up at him like he was a real-life superhero.

"You're Jace Penhallow", whispered the kid.

"That I am", chuckled Jace amused and knelt down to be on eye-level with the boy. "And you must be Max Lightwood. Your big brother told me about you. Thanks for inviting me to your runing party. I did bring you a gift too. I hope you like it."

Every single word seemed to be too much for Max, because his eyes just kept growing. Jace produced the figure he had bought for Max. A figurine, a cat, made of agate.

"Agate symbolizes the protection of children and the protection from evil. Both, I think, very useful for a young Shadowhunter such as yourself", stated Jace with a smile. "Also, I like cats."

Max held the figurine like it was the greatest treasure he had ever held. Biting his lips, Max stared from the cat up to Jace. Wow, that kid was adorable. Jace was mildly aware that young Shadowhunters admired him. Jace Penhallow, son of consul Jia Penhallow, the strongest, most cunning Shadowhunter of his generation, a fierce fighter but also a scholar. But Jace had never met anyone outside of the London Institute, who adored him like that.

"T... Thank you", whispered Max.

"Of course. And hey, maybe we can spar some time?", suggested Jace amused. "I could teach you a thing or two, if you'd like?"

"That would be _awesome_!", exclaimed Max excitedly.

Jace grinned pleased. It was so easy to make kids happy. Soon after, Max ran off, having other people waiting with presents. That left Jace alone with the two older Lightwoods and their partners. Isabelle and Lydia made for quite the stunning couple too, both in matching green dresses.

"That was really nice of you, Jace. Max adores you", smiled Isabelle.

"It's really no problem", assured Jace. "He seems like a great kid."

And Jace had _hoped_ that he could now get an opening on Alec, Isabelle, Magnus and Lydia, only that fate seemed to have different plans. Everything grew chaotic and destructive within minutes as hallucinations seemed to overcome many of the guests. There was so much screaming and so many people seemed thrown into their own fears. Jonathan included.

"No. No, I _saw_ you", hissed Jonathan in accusation, shoving Jace.

"I was talking to Clary. Making conversation", grunted Jace, clearly confused. "What is this-"

"You want to _replace_ me with her! She's the _light_. Like you! You got _stuck_ with the demon-blooded Morgenstern and now is your chance to get someone as pure and light as you and-"

Jace knocked him over the head. Seriously, he was not going to listen to this nonsense. Though it did explain a lot. Why Jonathan was avoiding Clary at all costs. He didn't want for _Jace_ to try and... replace him. They'd have words about this, but for now Jace had to help take care of whatever was going on here. And Jonathan knocked out was the safest there.

"What is going on here?", asked Jace as soon as he reached Magnus.

The warlock was on his way to storm out to the balcony, where most of the commotion was happening. Jace stared with wide eyes as Alec seemed to attempt jumping off the ledge. He ran to help, together with Magnus and who else was clear-minded. They managed to separate those influenced by the magic and then they tracked down a red kitten, revealed to be a warlock.

"That was... quite the party", grunted Jace as he collapsed onto the couch.

"Stick around. It never gets boring with us", offered Lydia dryly.

Jace chuckled at that and turned to look at the blonde. She was cradling Isabelle close, the young Lightwood asleep from exhaustion. Apparently her hallucinations had very prominently featured her mother, who never had a kind word for her before. Jace couldn't imagine. While yes, Jia was a strict person, she still held and showed love for her three children.

"We need to talk", stated Jace somberly as he looked around.

They were the only ones left in the loft – Magnus outside on the balcony, talking to Alexander about what had happened, Isabelle and Lydia here with Jace, Simon and Clary off in a corner talking seriously. Apparently Clary's hallucination had involved Simon having an affair with the barkeeper, for some reason that escaped Jace? Still, right now was the best possible time to talk to them. They were alone, at the High Warlock's loft, so safe from spies (well, after the cat lady had been taken care of, of course). And Jonathan wasn't here either; Sebastian had taken him back to the Institute.

"What about?", inquired Lydia, arching one eyebrow.

"With... everyone", stated Jace louder, shaking his head a little.

Clary and Simon stopped their conversation and turned toward them curiously. At least they were leaning against each other again, Clary holding onto Simon's arm. Whatever had caused her insecurities in their relationship was going to pass. Alec and Magnus rejoined them too after noticing the shift in atmosphere inside. Though the warlock had a gentle arm around the archer, clearly still distraught by what nearly had happened to Alec.

"What is it? I do believe today has been spectacle enough", sighed Magnus tired.

"You people are a tight-knitted bunch, huh", noted Jace and pulled his legs up against his chest.

"I... yes?", offered Lydia curiously. "Isabelle is my girlfriend, Alec my best friend, Magnus his boyfriend. And somehow, Alec and Izzy have adopted those two over there."

"Hey", protested Simon. "You make me feel like a token vampire."

Clary smiled softly while Alec rolled his eyes. "What are you getting at, Jace?"

"You've been chasing Valentine relentlessly since before he showed his face again", continued Jace.

"Get to the point, _please_. My head is killing me, I have some things to sort-", started Magnus.

"We're the sons of Valentine."

There was a sudden, eerie silence. And much confusion. Isabelle fully woke up, looking around and wondering what was going on exactly. Clary looked shaken, holding onto Simon for support. Her boyfriend happily wrapped two arms around her waist to keep her stable.

"What... What are you saying, Jace?", asked Clary, confused and in disbelief.

"Jon. He's your brother. Your _biological_ brother. Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern. I am...", replied Jace, interrupting himself with a shake of his head. "I'm _not_ Valentine's biological child, but he raised me. Both, me and Jon. In the woods, in Idris. We escaped him as children and ran away, running into the arms of the Penhallows. We quickly realized we could never tell the Clave the truth, who was our father, where we had come from."

"Why are you telling us this?", asked Lydia, not quite looking as though she fully believed him.

"When I heard that he had returned, I knew we couldn't idly sit by", continued Jace, resting his chin on his knees. "We know the evils Valentine is capable of. Better than anyone else. He raised us. Experimented on us. Infused us with—He did things to us. And... he has to _pay_ for them."

Jace looked up at them, trying to convey—well, something, something that might convince them. "Jon and I, we know him better than _anyone else_ alive. We want to _help_ catch him."

"Why should we believe you?", asked Lydia, arms crossed over her chest. "You could as well be spies for Valentine, if he is the one who raised you."

Jace gritted his teeth, having anticipated their doubt. "He _abused_ us for eight years. He tried to _sharpen_ us like weapons. Everything that was not perfection was punished. I learned how to play the piano. You know how? Whenever I made a mistake, he would _break_ the finger that had done wrong. He'd then iraze it, like it never happened, and then I would have to do it all over. For hours on end. I can't tell how often he has broken more than just my fingers. He hurt us, tried to break us, tried to turn us into weapons. But we were just _children_. I was eight years old when we escaped."

Jace was surprised when he felt a large hand on his shoulder, in a reassuring manner. He looked up into Alec's eyes. Warm chocolate, soft and... understanding. Jace took a shaky breath.

"We've been with the Penhallows for over a decade now. Do you _truly_ believe that if we were spies for Valentine, we would have just laid low for _this_ long?", asked Jace. "We're not. We just... want to take our abuser out. We want to _help_ you guys. But no one can know the truth about us."

"Jonathan... is my brother?", asked Clary softly.

"...Yes", confirmed Jace.

/break\

"I _can't_ believe you _told_ her!", spat Jonathan angrily.

Jace simply stood in front of him, unmoved. This little tirade had been going on for approximately twenty minutes now. Jon could be such a drama queen, really. Yes, of course, Jace understood that Jon was annoyed and all, but especially after the display at the loft, Jace knew he needed to _push_. Jonathan was not going to seek Clary out on his own and he was going to do everything to keep Jace from them too. So it was up to Jace to put things in motion.

"Go and talk to her. She is your _sister_ ", offered Jace softly. "She seemed shaken but also... hopeful. She lost her mother – _your_ mother. She just wants... family."

"I do not need any more family!", hissed Jonathan. "I have _you_."

Mismatched eyes softened as Jace reached out for Jonathan and pulled him into a hug. "And you are not going to lose me, brother. When we were taken in by the Penhallows, they didn't take anything away. They gave us _more_ family. Clary, she will never take me away from you. Give her a chance."

Jonathan pouted against Jace's shoulder as he clung to the younger. "I just want to catch our father, be rid of him and return to London and to our normal life."

Jace, wisely enough, stayed quiet at that and simply held his brother a while longer.

/break\

Alec was exhausted. The day had taken quite the toll on him. Not only had a crazy warlock taken over the runing party of his little brother, it had also brought to the surface just how guilty he felt about Jocelyn. And all the reassuring words from Clary and Magnus would not change that. He had killed her, literally had her blood on his hands. Magnus urged him, gently, to go and get help. A Silent Brother Magnus trusted, someone to talk to about what had happened. Alec had agreed.

Though that was by far not the only thing that had happened this day. Jace had revealed his and his brother's origins. The sons of Valentine Morgenstern. Back at the Institute, Jace had shown them a book, an old diary of sorts. Documentations on what Valentine had done to the two children.

"It's awful, Magnus", whispered Alec softly as he sat down next to Magnus.

"It is", agreed Magnus, wrapping a gentle arm around his boyfriend.

He pulled Alec close, pressing a loving kiss against the archer's temple. As always, it relaxed Alec, lulled him into a sense of safety and warmth in a way he had never experienced before.

"We _will_ help them. We have to take Valentine out. We... will take Valentine out, for everything he has ever done to any of us. Maybe with their help, we really can", mused Alec, voice low.

Magnus hummed in confirmation, carding his fingers through Alec's hair to sooth him into sleep. Today had been hard enough, there was no reason for his archer to keep thinking on those things. It burdened Magnus, to see just how much Jocelyn's death had hurt Alec. He tried to deny it, claimed that it was the magic from Iris that had made him act this way. But the magic only brought forth feelings that had already been there in the first place. Amplifying them.

Heaving a sigh, Magnus kissed Alec's forehead. Oh, and he seemed to have taken to another quite broken little Shadowhunter. He could not deny a certain attraction toward Jace Penhallow. The cute blonde with the kitten was rather charming _and_ gorgeous. Alas, Magnus had his Alexander and there was nothing else he _needed_. Though still perhaps... wanted?

He would see where things would go. It would by far not be his first polyamorous relationship, he had had many lovers, many at the same time too. And to Magnus, it was rather clear that Jace had caught Alec's eyes too. Well, that just came to prove Alexander's good tastes.

/break\

"You know, when you said that it doesn't get _boring_ with you guys, I didn't expect that much excitement", gasped Jace out before collapsing on the bed.

Lydia smiled gently and helped him into the bed. "Sh, don't talk. You lost a lot of blood."

"Is he going to be alright?!", asked Jonathan as he barged into the infirmary.

"Jon. Calm down, he will be fine. He just needs a blood-transfusion", assured Isabelle.

"Don't hurt Simon", requested Jace as he grasped Jonathan's wrist. "I _told him_ to drink."

So today had been a total disaster, overall. Iris, when she had cursed them at the loft, had forced Clary to go and save a girl named Madzie. And somehow, that had lead to today. Today being the day Simon Lewis nearly bled to death, if not for Jace glamouring himself to be Clary to fool Valentine. The plan had been for Clary and the others to take out Valentine. Jace was a little too fuzzy to know _anything_ that had happened. He was tired, had lost a lot of blood to Simon.

"So, the Institute still intact? Someone stopped you from killing yourself, mh?", asked Jace.

"Yes", sighed Jonathan breathlessly, holding onto Jace's hand. "I was too busy fighting against our father. The Lightwoods recovered the sword. Magnus Bane helped me contain Valentine once I had pinned him down. You... should have seen the _look_ on his face."

"But for now, it's more important that you rest, Jace", stated Isabelle seriously. "It'll take some time before you're fit again. Don't worry. Valentine is locked away safely."

"Good", hummed Jace and closed his eyes.

"Now, now, sweetheart. Stay with us", chided another voice.

Blinking slowly, Jace turned to look at the source of the voice, smiling. "He—ey. Ma—ag."

Magnus smiled amused as he cupped Jace's cheek. "Yes. I just brought dear Madzie to safety and then I returned to check on the wounded. You seem... rather wounded."

"I am _so sorry_ , Jace!", whispered Simon from across the room.

Clary and Sebastian were helping him onto a bed so he could wait for his check-up. "Issokay, Simon. I told you it's okay! I'm fi—ine."

"You're suffering from the blood-loss", muttered Magnus, feeling his forehead. "Rest some."

"You have soft hands", sighed Jace contently and closed his eyes.

He leaned into the warm touch from the warlock and felt himself drift off.

/break\

The next time Jace opened his eyes, it was to the worried face of his sister. "You utter _brat_."

"Hey, Aline. Missed you too", grinned Jace cheerfully.

Aline glared down at him, clinging onto his hand. "When Sebastian sent me that fire-message, that you had been injured. That you—You can't do that, Jace! You can't be this reckless."

"Stupid Seb, rattling me out", grunted Jace with a pout.

"Ah, yes. Blame me. I just told the rest of the family. Not like I was the one sucking the blood from your body", drawled Sebastian unimpressed.

Jace turned his head to see both Sebastian and Jonathan standing on the other side of his bed. Jonathan looked like he hadn't slept in days, a glare etched into his features. There was worry, on all of their faces. With a soft smile on his lips did Jace lay back down.

"The... High Warlock of Brooklyn has checked in on you three times", stated Aline casually. "Two of those times, he brought the co-head of the Institute with him."

"So—o? We've become friends in the past weeks, you know", countered Jace.

"Friends. Yes", nodded Aline, giving him the very unimpressed big sister glare.

Jace just smiled innocently at her before looking around the room. It felt nice, having his family gathered here like this, for him, because they worried about him.

"Mom and dad would have stayed too, but... well. Valentine has been delivered to Idris right away, of course. They came to check on you, but you were still out of it. I told them to go and oversee the interrogations rather than sit at your bedside. We can do that", offered Aline after a moment.

"Valentine, mh", whispered Jace lowly. "Captured."

His eyes found Jonathan's on instinct. There was a certain ease to Jonathan, one Jace had never seen like that. He was still naturally weary, but there was _something_ that had been lifted off his shoulders. Both their shoulders, truly. Their abuser was finally behind bars. Jace could help the small sob and tear escaping him. He never thought he'd see the day. Aline, Sebastian and Jonathan didn't comment on it. Aline and Sebastian had been the only people to know where Jace and Jonathan had really come from. The four of them had grown up so close.

"He'll never hurt you or Jon again", whispered Aline gently.

"I oversaw his transport personally", tagged Sebastian on. "To make sure there were no leftover Circle members who might try to break him out."

At that, Jace had to smile softly. He turned some and closed his eyes. Somehow, he felt sleepy. Really very sleepy. As though he had been waiting for this moment all of his life, the moment he would finally get to sleep with no nightmares.

/break\

Jonathan shifted uncomfortably, his arms crossed over his chest. Opposite him sat the man who knew his mother better than anyone else. The man who had been his father's parabatai.

"I never thought I'd get to meet you", stated Luke curiously.

He was staring at Jonathan intensely. It was making Jon mildly uncomfortable. He wished Jace had come with him, but Jace had insisted this was something Jon had to do on his own. Get to know his... family. Jonathan was still rather doubtful about that.

"You look a lot like her", whispered Luke softly. "Jocelyn. You have that same stubborn, fierce glare. The same Clary shares too."

Jonathan turned toward Luke tentatively. Clary next to him took his hand. It wasn't _as_ reassuring as Jace's, but it still felt oddly comforting, despite him only having known her for three weeks.

"Can you... tell me more about her?", asked Jonathan slowly. "My... mother."

"Of course. Of course I can", nodded Luke and sat up some.

Jonathan settled down on the couch as he listened to Luke's retelling of the past. Both, during their time in the Circle and after. What a wonderful mother and loving woman she had been. It stung. But it was also oddly... reassuring. To know what kind of a person Jocelyn was.

Not that Jon was going to tell Jace that. It'd only get to that brat's head, he knew that.

/break\

Magnus raised his eyebrows in amusement as he leaned against the backrest of the couch. He crossed his arms on top of it and tilted his head some. This was adorable. Jace Penhallow was laying on the couch, with two cats curled together on his chest and stomach and a small kitten nestled against his neck. All four of them were deep asleep.

"Alexander, what pretty things did you bring me there?", asked Magnus playfully.

"Huh?", grunted Alec from the bathroom in confusion.

He poked his head out, just to see Magnus looming over Jace. Rolling his eyes, Alec joined his boyfriend. He blinked a couple of times at just how... peaceful Jace looked like that. Huh.

"We were on a mission together and it started raining. The loft was closer than the Institute, so I offered him to stay and wait out the rain. He took a shower first. Figured he'd be playing with the cats while I shower", explained Alec, ruffling his hair dry with the towel around his neck.

"You two have been spending a lot of time together", mused Magnus.

"There's a lot of missions to clean up after the Circle", defended Alec. "And he _is_ the best."

"Aw, you flatter me, Mister Lightwood", hummed Jace sleepily.

He blinked and looked up at the two men standing above him. They were both so stunning. Alec was so handsome, with that brooding look on his face, those warm hazel eyes and that very tempting neck-rune. Magnus was simply _gorgeous_ , with such an edge of mischief to his smirks, that well-groomed goatee, the fashionable clothes that hugged his well-trained body in all the right ways. Jace wasn't blind, he had noticed all of that the first day he had met them. But over the past weeks of staying in New York and fighting alongside of them, Jace had noticed it _more_. He caught himself staring more often than he was ready to admit. Especially when the golden couple was having a moment. And he had to admit, _especially_ from this angle were they breathtaking. There was just something to laying on his back and staring up at them. Bad thoughts, very bad thoughts.

"It's still raining cats and dogs. Would you like to stay for dinner?", inquired Magnus.

"Mh... are you asking me out on a _date_? While your boyfriend is right there?", asked Jace teasingly.

"I _do_ make a habit of _sharing_ with my Alexander, so if I were to propose any such things, it would of course always only be when he is there too", mused Magnus.

Both Jace and Magnus delighted in the high flush on Alec's cheeks. "Why are you two like this?"

"Because it's fun", stated Jace with a grin.

He collapsed back onto the couch and stared at the ceiling thoughtfully. Aline and Sebastian were going to leave again. Valentine was taken care of, the last Circle members were currently being rounded up. They had recovered the Mortal Cup in their hide-out and had safely secured the Soul Sword during the arrest of Valentine. Jonathan... had grown attached to Clary in the past weeks. He had even _befriended_ Isabelle. And it seemed to do him some good to interact with Luke Garroway.

"We're going to stay, you know", said Jace casually, carding his fingers through a cat's fur. "Jon and I. Seb is going back to London, but... I like it here. Jon likes it here."

"You... like New York?", asked Alec slowly.

"Eh, not so much. Filled with rude Americans and somehow even louder and more polluted than London", grunted Jace. "But... there's some... people here that I've grown fond of."

He turned his head, enough to look at Magnus and Alec fully. Before making a final decision, it might be beneficial to check if all the flirting was simply for fun and because Magnus liked to fluster Alec, or if he actually stood a chance with the couple.

"That's... nice", replied Alec lamely, wincing a little.

"You're real bad at this", observed Jace amused before he turned toward Magnus. "He's real bad at this. What I'm saying is that I _like_ the two of you. And I'd like to know if you maybe like me too and if we could... see where this is going?"

"That's blunt of you", mused Magnus curiously and tilted his head.

He leaned over the couch once more and reached out, gently tracing Jace's face with his finger. Jace gladly leaned into the touch while Alec just stared down at him a little dumbly perhaps.

"So Magnus wasn't imagining this?", asked Alec slowly. "I thought-"

"Alexander here has stopped me from pursuing you for the past two weeks now", sighed Magnus dramatically. "He was worried you might file a complaint with the Clave's HR department."

"...Does the Clave even _have_ an HR department?", wondered Jace slowly.

"Can we stay on topic?", requested Alec, rubbing his forehead.

"Yes. Date. You, me?", offered Jace with a cheeky grin and sat up. "Though you gotta expect some serious shovel talks. And, uh, Jon is going to be _very_ literal about his."

"I don't like the sound of that", grunted Alec with a frown.

"Aw. Don't worry, I will protect you from him", chuckled Jace amused.

He knelt on the couch, leaning forward toward them. Alec looked tentative and doubtful before Magnus gave him a slight nudge and he finally bent down enough to kiss Jace. It was only a brief touch of their lips, but it made Jace shudder. He had never quite dared to chase after anyone, mostly because he was too afraid to grow attached and still have this huge secret from his partner. But here he was – secret free. They _knew_ the truth. And Valentine had been defeated. His execution was scheduled for next week and Jace and Jonathan had front-row seats for it.

"Well then, sweetheart. You have no idea what you just signed up for", purred Magnus.

He flashed his eyes golden as he wrapped an arm around Jace's waist. "Show me what you got."

Jace laughed a little into the kiss as Magnus pulled him flush against himself. With a smile did Jace pull Alec closer too. The tall, dark Shadowhunter leaned in to steal a kiss of his own from Jace, sandwiching the blonde between Alec and Magnus. Finally, after all these years, all the pain and secrecy, he was allowed to get what he wanted. To be _happy_.

_~*~ The End ~*~_

**Author's Note:**

> Because I haven't written Malace in ages, I decided to take a little break from my "Alphas of Jace Herondale" schedule and instead write good, old-fashioned Malace with a spin that's been fascinating me for a while. Nature vs nurture. What if Jonathan had never been to Edom, instead of festering his hatred by being banished by Valentine and then even more abused by Lilith, what if Jonathan actually did get to experience love?


End file.
